Striker that Leeds United signed in 2020 in nightmare deal continues to stuggle: View | OneFootball

Jean-Kevin Augustin is free agent after leaving FC Basel, capping off a disappointing couple of years

The mere mention of Jean-Kevin Augustin's name will leave Leeds United fans shuddering after his disastrous time at Elland Road, and the player himself has endured a difficult few years since leaving RB Leipzig in 2020.

Augustin joined Leeds in January 2020 as Marcelo Bielsa looked to help the Whites back to the Premier League, but his signing proved a hugely controversial one, and he didn't prove himself on the pitch either.

The Frenchman has subsequently played for the likes of Nantes and FC Basel after leaving Elland Road, but he's yet to replicate the form he showed at RB Leipzig prior to his move to Leeds, and he recently had his contract terminated by the Swiss side, meaning he's currently a free agent.

It's been a difficult few years for Augustin, and the news of him becoming a free agent probably won't be a massive surprise to Leeds United supporters.

Augustin was signed by Leeds in January 2020, initially on loan, but with an obligation to buy for £18million if the Whites won promotion to the Premier League.

Bielsa's side did indeed win promotion to the top-flight, but Augustin had played just three games for the club, all from the bench, totaling just 48 minutes in what was a delayed end to the season due to the pandemic.

Leeds were unimpressed with what they'd seen from Augustin and tried to get out of the £18million deal, citing the season being delayed due to the pandemic as a loophole, which eventually led to huge legal battles costing the club millions.

The Frenchman didn't end up joining the club, but Leeds were eventually forced to pay RB Leipzig a settlement of £15million for Augustin's transfer fee, and also had to pay the player £24.5million in unpaid wages and bonuses, meaning they were the best part of £40million down for a player who had never joined them permanently.

It worked out that Augustin cost Leeds £13,715 for every second of football he played, an incredibly bad, or unlucky bit of business depending on your view, and the player hasn't exactly thrived since his dire spell at Elland Road came to an end.

Jean-Kevin Augustin has continued to struggle after leaving Leeds United

Augustin joined Nantes after his spell at Leeds came to an end after both RB Leipzig and Leeds had relinquished any claim to his registration, meaning he became a free agent.

However, his time in his homeland proved a miserable one, and he played just 11 games for the club's first-team, making four more for their B team but failing to find the back of the net, and he was subsequently released in 2022.

He moved to Swiss giants Basel on a free transfer in the summer of 2022 and while his form slightly improved, he failed to hit the heights of what he showed at RB Leipzig as a youngster, and his recent contract termination wasn't a huge surprise.

He failed to make a matchday squad from April onwards, and it became clear during the opening weeks of the season that he had no long-term future at the club.

Xherdan Shaqiri joined Basel this summer and took Augustin's number 10 shirt, helping to emphasise that he had no future at the club, and after weeks of being excluded from training, he saw his contract torn up on the 31th August.

At 27, Augustin will feel that he still has plenty left to give, but there's no denying that his career has been on a downward spiral since his time at Leeds four years ago.

As a free agent, you'd have thought that the striker would have a number of suitors in the coming months, but you can guarantee that Leeds will be staying well away from their former striker.